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All care home and domiciliary workers are to get a £500 gift from the Welsh Government.

The money is to be a thank you for the hard work done by carers during the coronavirus epidemic.

Speaking at his press conference today First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Tens of thousands of people work in social care in Wales, looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and are doing so with great dedication in often challenging circumstances.

“They are undertaking tasks, which involve a high level of intimate personal care, often accepting a greater degree of risk and responsibility. Many of our social care workers are juggling their own personal caring responsibilities with their professional ones.

“I want our social care workforce know their hard work is both appreciated and recognised. This payment is designed to provide some further recognition of the value we attach to everything they are doing to – it recognises this group of people are providing the invisible scaffolding of services, which support both our NHS and our wider society.”

It is understood that 64,600 people will receive the gift in Wales which will be administrated by local authorities.

The gift is only going to people who provide personal care and will not go to people who work in other roles in care homes like kitchen staff or cleaners. Agency nurses will also not qualify as they receive higher rates of pay.

The Welsh Government is appealing to the UK Government to not tax the cash and also to not penalise people with working tax credits or other benefits.

The Welsh Government has been under fire for not offering test to all care home residents and workers.

England announced it was going to be offering tests to all staff and residents but Wales and Scotland will only offer tests to those with symptoms.

Today’s announcement follows the announcement of the death in service payment for the families of all NHS and social care staff made by Health and Social Services Minister Vaughan Gething on Tuesday.

This scheme will provide eligible beneficiaries with a one-off sum of £60,000 and will apply to those working in frontline roles and locations where personal care is provided to individuals who may have contracted coronavirus.